Hot toddy time

The weather outside really IS frightful. We can help.

By Nancy O'Donnell

The Cub Room's Onsen Toki Toddy

Kate Melton

After a long day tending to five children, my mother would command time for herself. With a mystery book under her arm, she’d climb the stairs to her bedroom and her “hot toddy.” In her case, the hot toddy was a cold bottle of Miller High Life, “the champagne of beers.”

While she didn’t opt for the conventional original (whiskey, water, and lemon juice) except when needed to break a fever, she did imbue the term “hot toddy” with a sense of tradition and celebration.

Hot toddy history begins in the late eighteenth century. The earliest recipe is described as a mixture of alcohol, hot water, sugar, and spice. Its etymology comes from India, where the “toddy drink” lists as ingredients fermented palm tree sap, alcohol, hot water, sugar, and spices.

The tradition and the celebration continue in bars and lounges during the deep dark of a Rochester winter. Beyond the expected Irish coffee and hot spiked eggnog, there’s much more out there to keep you warm.

Bring half a gallon of cider to a gentle simmer with one ounce of mulling spices for ten minutes and then strain over one cup sliced fennel leaves. Let steep for two to three minutes and then strain again into a press pot or other thermal dispenser.

Honey Spice Syrup

Mix together one cup of Davis local honey, one cup of white sugar, and two cups water. Skin a tangerine or orange and add three cloves and one cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil and strain to holding vessel until needed.

Fill a glass coffee mug with hot water while you measure the bourbon, lemon juice, and syrup. Dump the hot water out and fill the mug with the cider to desired level, adding a cinnamon stick for garnish. Using a press pot lets you keep the cider hot for hours.